Yosemite's new reservation rules: What you need to know

Yosemite's new reservation rules: What you need to know

If you're planning to head to Yosemite National Park this summer, you'll probably need a reservation.

YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, Calif. - If you're planning to head to Yosemite National Park this summer, you'll probably need a reservation.

The park says that a reservation will be required to drive into, or through, Yosemite on many days from May 24 through Sept. 1.

Reservations will be required for Memorial Day weekend, any day between June 15 and Aug. 15 and Labor Day weekend.

Officials recommend visiting the Yosemite trip planning website or the National Park Service app for details, exceptions, and how to make a reservation.

Reservations for all dates will be released on Recreation.gov on May 6 at 8 a.m.

Additional reservations are available seven days before the arrival date. 

Reservations sell out almost immediately. 

The non-refundable reservation fee is $2, which does not include the $35-per-car park entrance fee.

There are exceptions: Visitors who arrive before 6 a.m. or after 2 p.m. do not need a reservation to get into the park. Nor do visitors who have overnight reservations at hotels inside the park, such as the Ahwahnee or Yosemite Valley Lodge, or at campsites inside the park.

Also, people who enter the park on a Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System bus, or on a tour bus do not need reservations to enter for the day.

FILE ART- Yosemite National Park. Photo: KTVU photographer Jaden Schaul